Aces of the Deep

When your submarine starts diving and the alarm screams until your skull rings, you know there's no room for mistakes here. Aces of the Deep is a submarine commander simulator from the early nineties that takes its job seriously — perhaps too seriously.

You play as the commander of a German U-boat in World War II, hunting convoys, maneuvering through tight spots, and trying to get back home. This is classic wargaming with all its trappings: precise data on depth, course, speed, ammunition type. Maps with quiet music that gives you goosebumps. This isn't about action — it's about waiting, watching radar, and calculating geometry. One wrong move and depth charges bury you or a torpedo takes you out.

The controls are a complicated machine. Your virtual vessel comes with intricate menus, indicators, and procedures. It's not inviting, but that's exactly where the magic lies — the feeling of complicated responsibility. When you finally hit a convoy and watch the enemy vessel's superstructure break apart in the sea, you feel like you've actually accomplished something. Detection systems, sneak attacks or fleeing in darkness — everything has its realistic purpose. On the other hand, that menu feels like swimming through syrup, and facing defenders sometimes feels more like wrestling with code than an actual enemy.

In the nineties, this was the thing for enthusiasts — those who studied firing tables in Silent Service manuals. Later models (Silent Service, SSPII) had more charm. Aces of the Deep feels more like a workbook than a game. It's aged quite a bit. The graphics aren't worse than any other DOS-era simulator, but poor ergonomics and slow time flow hurt you more.

Today? If you want a serious simulator without modern graphics restraints and with period-authentic tactical depth — here you have it. If you want to relax or get somewhere fast, move on. For that specific moment when you're craving realism and tedium, it still works though.